BUILDING STANDARDS

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222-3 AVE NORTH, SASKATOON, SK S7K 0J5

Commercial Building Permits

SPATIAL SEPARATIONS

Definition of Spatial Separations

The requirements for the physical or spatial separation of buildings exist to limit the probability that fire will
spread from one building to an adjacent building during the time required for emergency responders to
perform their duties, which could lead to damage to adjacent buildings. The National Building Code (NBC)
limits the number of openings in the exposing building face and restricts the type of construction of the
exterior wall of the building based on the use of the building and its placement with respect to property lines
or other buildings on the same site. Spatial separation requirements exist for property protection rather
than to protect the life safety of the occupants. Spatial separations as described in this handout apply to all
commercial buildings, regardless of size or occupancy.
Determination of Spatial Separation Requirements
Requirements are determined through the application of Subsections 9.10.14 and 9.10.15 for buildings
falling within the scope of Part 9 of the NBC 2010, and Subsection 3.2.3 for buildings within the scope of
Part 3. Buildings are permitted to have a proportion of openings in an exterior wall based on limiting
distance and the size of the exposing building face. The closer an exposing building face is to a property
line or the face of another building, the higher the fire-resistance rating required for that building face and
the more stringent the construction requirements for that exterior wall. For example, buildings located next
to a property line are required to be built of non-combustible construction and have a fire-resistance rating
of 1 or 2 hours, depending on the occupancy contained within the building.

The NBC defines the following commonly used terms as indicated below:
Exposing Building Face refers to that part of the exterior wall of a building which faces one direction and
is located between ground level and the ceiling of its top storey, or if a building is divided into fire
compartments, the exterior wall of a fire compartment facing in one direction.
Limiting Distance is defined as the distance from the exposing building face to a property line, lot line,
centerline of a street or public thoroughfare, or an imaginary line between two buildings on the same site.
Unprotected Opening refers to a doorway, window or opening other than one equipped with a closure
having the required fire-protection rating, or any part of a wall forming part of the exposing building face
that has a fire-resistance rating less than that required for the exposing building face.

Fire-Resistance Ratings For Exterior Walls

The fire-resistance rating of an assembly, including an exterior wall assembly, may be determined based
on tests conducted in accordance with CAN/ULC-S101. This is typically provided in the form of a ULC, cUL
or Intertek listed assembly. Or, the assembly may be assigned a fire-resistance rating using Appendix D as
per Article 3.1.7.1. An exterior wall assembly is rated for exposure to fire from inside the building as per
Article 3.1.7.3.

The following options for obtaining the required fire-resistance ratings of exterior walls may be considered:
Hour Rating
Listed Assembly 1 Hour Rating
Concrete Block Listed Assembly 2 Hour Rating
Design under D-2.3
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Concrete Block Listed Assembly
1 layer of 5/8 FR GWB Design under D-2.3
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Concrete Block*
Equivalents** 1 layer of 5/8 FR GWB + thermal 2 layers of 5/8 FR GWB + thermal

barrier barrier

2 layers of 5/8 FR GWB 3 layers of 5/8 FR GWB
Equivalents** Equivalents**

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Commercial Building Permits

SPATIAL SEPARATIONS

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Design under D-2.3
The Component Additive Method described in Appendix D can be used to design an exterior wall
assembly with the required fire-resistance rating for a maximum 90 minute rating.

Thermal Barrier
Exterior wall assemblies shall have an outer membrane consisting of sheathing and exterior cladding
with spaces between the studs filled with insulation as per D-2.3.5(2) in addition to the fire-rated
gypsum board applied to the inside face of the exterior wall. This sheathing membrane or thermal
barrier is considered to have a 15 minute fire-resistance rating based on Appendix D from the NBC
2010.
Where the building construction does not typically include sheathing (ie. pre-engineered metal
buildings), an additional layer of 5/8 Type X (or Fireguard) gypsum board applied to the inside face of
the wall is acceptable in order to achieve the required 1 or 2 hour fire-resistance rating. An extra layer
of rated drywall is not required for a hour fire-resistance rating.

3 layers of 5/8 Fire Rated (FR) Gypsum Wallboard (GWB)

5/8 thick, 40 wide FireGuard Gypsum Board applied in three layers on the interior side. The base
layer is applied horizontally to the studs with 1 Type S, self-drilling, self-tapping Bugle head steel
screws 24 on center. The second layer is applied horizontally with the horizontal joints offset 24 from
the horizontal joints in the base layer and with any vertical butt joints centered between studs. Vertical
butt joints are staggered between succeeding courses. The second layer is secured with 1 5/8 Type
S, self-drilling, self-tapping, Bugle head steel screws 16 on center to stud framing and with 1 Type
G, #10 laminating screws, 16 on center and spaces 2 from any vertical butt joints. The face layer is
applied vertically to the studs with 2 Type S, self-drilling, self-tapping Bugle head steel screws 12
on center. Any horizontal butt joints in the face layer are staggered 24 between adjoining panels. At
horizontal butt joints, 1 Type G, laminating screws are driven 12 on center at 2 from both sides of
the joint. The face layer joints are covered with paper tape and joint compound. Exposed screw heads
are covered with joint compound. (Based on Warnock Hersey (Intertek) Design No. DG/WA 180-01
1995 Certification Listings)
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Concrete Block
Concrete block that is used in construction that is required to have a fire-resistance rating greater than
90 minutes must meet the requirements of Table D-2.1.1 for the required rating or be constructed in
conformance with a listed assembly for concrete blocks. Typically, 8 inch concrete block is considered
to have a 2 hour fire-resistance rating.
**
Equivalents
Equivalents must be based on actual building code data, listing information from ULC or Intertek etc.,
or documented past performance of the type of assembly being proposed. Equivalents must be
presented by an architect or engineer licensed to practice in the province of Saskatchewan.

Special Cases For Spatial Separation Requirements

Buildings Facing a Street
Article 3.2.3.10 of the NBC permits an exposing building face that faces a street and is at the same level
as the street to have unlimited unprotected openings if the limiting distance is not less than 9 m.
A street is defined by the NBC as any highway, road, boulevard, square or other improved thoroughfare
9 m or more in width, which has been dedicated or deeded for public use, and is accessible to fire
department vehicles and equipment.

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222-3 AVE NORTH, SASKATOON, SK S7K 0J5

Commercial Building Permits

SPATIAL SEPARATIONS

This definition of a street means that only property deeded for public use as a street may be considered
as a street with respect to the requirements of Subsection 3.2.3. There are two cases where a building
can be considered to face a street, as outlined below. The first is where the building faces a true street
that in every way meets the definition of a street as shown in the figure below in Case (i). The other case
is where the building faces a public lane that is at least 6 metres wide, and has a limiting distance to the
centerline of the public lane as shown in Case (ii) below. Private access roads that are not deeded for
public use are not considered to be streets, regardless of size.

Buildings Facing a Lane

City lanes which are 6 metres in width, but do not meet the criteria of a street above, do not qualify as a
street with respect to spatial separations. However, the limiting distance for an exposing building face
facing a lane is permitted to be measured from the centerline of the lane to the face of the building, thus
allowing more openings and possibly relaxed construction requirements.

Buildings on the Same Site

The limiting distance for each face of buildings where they face other buildings can be taken as the
measurement from an imaginary line between the two buildings, to each exposing building face of the
building. Each building is required to meet spatial separation requirements with respect to that imaginary
line. Under special circumstances, buildings on the same site may be grouped in order to avoid spatial
separation requirements between the two buildings. Only accessory buildings of industrial occupancy are
permitted to be grouped with the main building on the site. When buildings are grouped, the aggregate
area of the buildings, construction type and ratings of both buildings must be such that they may be
considered as one building for classification purposes. Single storey self storage warehouses are
permitted to be grouped as indicated in the handout for such buildings.

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